UBC Okanagan welcomes new academic and research leader

Dr. Alaa Abd-El-Aziz, a leading Canadian chemistry scholar and former Vice President of Research, International and External Affairs as well as Acting Vice President (Academic) at the University of Winnipeg, has joined UBC Okanagan as the institution’s first Associate Vice President, Academic and Research.

“We are very excited to welcome Dr. Abd-El-Aziz to UBC Okanagan,” said UBC Okanagan Deputy Vice Chancellor Dr. Doug Owram. “As a university dedicated to the integration of teaching and research, UBC Okanagan will benefit greatly from his wealth of experience as a scholar, researcher and administrator. This is a key position for our institution as we move forward with significant expansion of both our research capacity and the scope of academic inquiry.”

Dr. Abd-El-Aziz was educated in Egypt and Canada, earning his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees from Ain Shams University in Cairo. After receiving a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Saskatchewan, he was an NSERC Post-Doctoral Fellow at the University of Toronto. In 1990, he joined the University of Winnipeg as an Assistant Professor and was promoted to the rank of Full Professor in 1997.

He has held a variety of positions at the University of Winnipeg, including terms as Chair of the Department of Chemistry, Dean of Science (2000-2001), Associate Vice President, Academic (2001-2004), and most recently Vice President of Research, International and External Affairs.

Dr. Abd-El-Aziz is a Fellow of the Chemical Institute of Canada, a recipient of the Erica and Arnold Rogers Award for Excellence in Research and Scholarship and the Clifford J. Robson Memorial Award for Excellence in Teaching. He received the Manitoba Outstanding Chemist Award from the Chemical Institute of Canada in 2000. He also received numerous merit awards during his tenure as a professor and researcher at the University of Winnipeg.

During his academic career, Dr. Abd-El-Aziz has been a principal investigator or co-investigator on research projects that have garnered more than $9.6 million from federal or provincial government, and other public and private sector agencies. He published over 100 articles, and authored or edited 10 books – with two more books in progress. Dr. Abd-El-Aziz is editor of the Journal of Inorganic and Organometallic Polymers and Materials. He has supervised 24 master’s and doctoral candidates.